No death penalty possible in case of Middletown 6-year-old’s death, disposal. Here’s why.
A Middletown woman and her boyfriend accused in the death and disposal of her son were arraigned Monday in Butler County Common Pleas Court, and despite outrage expressed by the community, the death penalty will not be possible in the prosecution of the alleged crimes.
Court-appointed attorneys entered not guilty pleas on behalf of Brittany Gosney and James Hamilton in Judge Noah Powers’ courtroom. Bond was set at $2 million for Gosney and $750,000 for Hamilton.
Because the duo did not waive their rights to a speedy trial, a tentative trial date was set for May 24. They are due back on court March 22 for a pretrial hearing.
Savings of $1.3 million to be spent on additional paving in Middletown
Thanks to lower interest rates and lesser broker fees, the city of Middletown is saving $1.3 million from its earlier projections, and the extra funds will be spent on paving, said Finance Director Jacob Burton.
Middletown voters in November approved a 0.25 percent increase to the city income tax for the next 10 years that is expected to raise $36.2 million. The total costs of the debt issuance is $34,077,156, allowing for $2,126,773 of additional paving to occur throughout the 10-year tax levy period.
Burton said March 22 is the closing date and once the city receives the funds, the money will be placed in a separate bank account and interest will be earmarked for more paving.
Butler County finishes years-long land deal with Wendy’s for Tylersville Road widening
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
After years of legal wrangling, the Butler County commissioners settled an $800,000 right-of-way acquisition deal with Wendy’s that was needed to complete the recent Tylersville Road widening project.
The Butler County commissioners approved the settlement on Monday for an amount that was higher than the county wanted to pay but less than the $1.4 to $1.5 million the fast food chain wanted.
“At the end of the day you could go in front of a jury with this and anytime you go in front of jury you don’t know where you’re going to go,” said County Engineer Greg Wilkens. “You take your best shot and maybe cut your losses from what a jury would award.”
Man gets maximum sentence for shooting girlfriend last May in Middletown
A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for the shooting of his 17-year-old girlfriend during an argument last May at a Middletown residence.
Daniel Calhoun was taken into custody on June 4 while hiding in the basement of the victim’s house in the 1300 block of Young Street in Middletown. Detectives had been looking for Calhoun since the May 14 shooting incident.
In February, Calhoun pleaded guilty in Butler County Common Pleas Court to a reduced charge of attempted felonious assault with a gun specification. He was charged with two counts of felonious assault under different sections of the law and having a weapon under disability. The remainder of the charges were dismissed.
Rezoning planned for parts of Hamilton’s German Village in planning for the future
Hamilton City Council is likely to rezone parts of German Village, but it won’t change much as far as many in the neighborhood are concerned.
Properties in the area include the St. Julie Billiart church, the YWCA — for which the change could be important if that building is sold in coming years — and the city’s new Marcum Park, as well as Neal’s Famous BBQ.
Liz Hayden, the city’s planning director, said she considers the rezoning a “cleanup” of previous zoning decisions.
AND, for an extra sixth story of the day ...
PHOTOS: Inside the new Butler County facility helping adults with disabilities
Empowered Community Services is just a few weeks old in Fairfield Twp., but it’s already filling an ever-present need by giving adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities more options.